Diary Athens: Dec 30 - Jan 05, 2018

Jan 05
It rained yesterday, on my not running day, but today beautiful weather again. Perfect timing...I have to take the metro

to where I start running, and all the people in it have an expression on their faces as if it is going to be another bad day. That may be true for some people, but can not be for all.
In the USA I don't use public transport anymore (I drive a car in Flagstaff), but what I see in the Athens Metro, is that true in other cities in Europe as well? Modern times?

Jan 04
It started raining yesterday evening, it continued raining last night and most of today. Oh well. Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, which means that visiting museums will be free. I am going to the Archeological Museum.

I have been there twice, but this time I am going spend most of my time at the Egyptian pharaoh exhibition.
In the afternoon I will go to the Agora Museum.

Jan 02
Quiet day. Here is some Iris deMent music



Jan 01
Last night around midnight, in the street where I live there was only a little bit of fireworks, but it did not last long. I went to sleep way before midnight and went running this morning.

It was very quiet.
Running on New Years day is a tradition of mine, I have been doing it for 20 years now.

Dec 31
The weather in the USA is breaking some records.

International Falls (near Lake Erie) is -30 Fahrenheit (-34 Celsius),
Chicago is -2 Fahrenheit (-18 Celsius)
Here in Athens it is:

 On my balcony where there is no wind, it is about 20 Celsius.....

Dec 30
Beautiful day. I was at the ancient  Athens cemetery 2 years years ago, but I only took pictures and video with my cell phone.

This morning I went back with my regular camera.

From Kerameikos to the Saturday Panormou Market.

A lot of people on the Metro....

Diary Athens: Dec 23 - 29, 2017

Dec 28
Clouds today. I did laundry yesterday and last night I still had socks hanging on the washing line on the balcony. Of course at 06.00 this morning it started raining. But I was already up and got the socks in, on time.
I walked from Monastiraki to Syntagma, I wanted to get a picture of the only Christmas tree in Athens.
Before I got there I passed the Orthodox Cathedral of Athens,

 In 2016 it was still being restored.

I went inside the small church on the right.

 And here is the Christmas tree.

Dec 27
Some but not all stores are open, but all government offices are closed, so are all archeological sites (Akropolis, Lykabettou, etc). Oh well, I''l sunbath, again....Laundry day today!

Back home, more and more clouds in the sky.

Dec 26
More stores and also the supermarkets are open, but the metro this morning was only half full, so a lot of Athenians are on holiday between Christmas and New Year.

Dec 25
Christmas day. All shops are closed, the metro is running. Blue skies, again. After running stayed home, on the balconies.

Dec 24
Sunny day yesterday and it was Sunday, the day before Christmas. That means that all the stores were open, and all Athenians are shopping and eating around Monastiraki.

Fleamarket near Thissio Station

Two stores have Christmas decorations

and there is a modern Christmas tree on Syntagma Square, and that is it. Greek religion is Greek orthodox, no Christmas as in Christ celebration as they do in Spain or Italy.
Malaga

Dec 24
Almost Christmas, so:
Flash Mobs!!




Dec 23
After 3 days of only clouds today some sunshine. It was quiet outside when I went running.
I have internet in the apartment. I like to look up video's of musicians that I enjoy, some from way back. Here two from Bonny Osborne. With his brother Sonny was known as the "Osborne Brothers". Still singing at 86.

Diary Athens: Dec 16 - 22, 2017

Dec 22
Christmas is almost here, therefore...

 Best wishes for 2018!!!!

Dec 21
It's rainy this morning, I am going to wait until 09.00 when the metro will be less crowded, to go running.
Back from running, it stayed dry, a bit chilly.
Anyway, what about aliens? (Lifeforms that is)


Dec 20
I live a very quiet life. I read, a lot.
I don't go out in the evening (I am in bed before 22.00hr), and I get up early.
Running every other day. It has been cloudy the last couple of days and cooler.
Athenians are walking around in thick wintercoats....What would an Athenian of ancient times think of today's Athens?

Dec 17
Intermittent rain last night, through the night and this morning. First time in 17 days....At 09.00 it got dry and I went out, running.

Walked to Syntagma and from there the metro back home. Had a siesta on the balcony..
It stayed sunny until 14.00, after that cloudy with sun in between.

Dec 16
I checked on the internet which countries installed the most solar water heaters: Spain and Greece were 1 and 2.

In december, 2 weeks of sunshine with a temperature around 20 degrees Celsius....it makes sense.

Diary Athens: Dec 09 - 15, 2017

Dec 15
I go to bed around 21.00 and wake up around 05.00. I turn on the laptop and check email and news on the internet.On the days I am running I leave the apartment at 07.30 when it is light enough outside.  When I am not running I go out on the balcony with a big pot of tea. At 09.00 the sun rises above the apartment building across the street.  When I am not running I go out on the balcony with a big pot of tea.

Dec 12
I am glad that I brought a blue-tooth speaker with me. I can place the speaker anywhere in the apartment and the balconies. Here is a video of the apartment.

Dec 11
Apparently the weather in Holland is bad: snow and wind. Here in Athens, sunshine.

 I decided to try out a new route, one that does not involve sharing the road with cars and buses.

I took the subway from Victoria station to 1 stop past Monastiraki. Starting behind the Akropolis.This route also has 1 mile running uphill from the start. I will do the other route on weekends when there is less traffic.

Dec 10
Cooked lunch at Hara's house. It was going to be 6 people then it became 3 people and at the end it was 5. Except 2 of the 5 came later. Pasta with meat sauce.
Up early and to bed early. I'm reading a lot of Tim Powers: Last Call, Expiraton Date, Earthquake weather.

Dec 09
After running 5 km this morning,

I continued walking for 2 km behind the Akropolis

to Monastiraki.

I need to get groceries at the Agora market

Sides of pork, beef and sheep are hanging and on demand gets hacked to specification.
Different than in Holland where meat in the supermarkets is prepackaged. In Germany they got butcher shops inside the supermarket, like in the USA. But the hacking is done in the back, out of sight. I am not familiar how it is done in the UK.
The apartment buildings in Athens where built in the 1950, for Greek Christians expelled from Turkey. They are solidly built, with the upper floors stepped back. Greeks like big, functional balconies.

 A lot of solar water heaters

In between a lower building: old Athens from the 1930's.

It looks chaotic, but I like it. I don't like uniformity....